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Erase untouchability, DMK tells government

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi on Thursday attended a rally in Chennai, which was called by leaders of minority communities to protest against the state government's ordinance banning forced conversions.

He said the government had promulgated the ordinance in order to please the Shankaracharya of Kanchi, Jayendra Saraswati.

Contrary to what many claimed, the percentage of Christians and Muslims in the country had come down, the DMK chief said. He cited census figures to buttress his argument.

Instead of coming up with such laws, the government and Hindus should try and erase untouchability, he said, and referred to the 'twin-tumbler' system that was prevalent in teashops across the state.

Karunanidhi quoted former Union minister T T Krishnamachari as saying that Christian educational institutions were not dens of conversions.

He shared the dais with leaders of the Congress, Communist Party of India and CPI-Marxist, who were allies of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the assembly polls last year.

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